Notes: Another Losing Week; Velasquez Back On IL After 2 Innings; Moves, Notes, Injuries

In the same lane...

Notes:

• Luis Ortiz won his first MLB game and Tucupita Marcano banged his first big league granny to get the Pirates' week off to a good start against Texas with a 6-4 win. The next two games, well... The highlight was Johan Oviedo dealing an immaculate inning against the Rangers, although the Bucs lost, 3-2, as Oviedo gave up three runs in the first frame before finding the range. On to Seattle, where the Bucs started off by tying a team record for homers in a game with seven (1894, 1947, 2003) in an 11-6 win. And, of course, got shutout on two hits in the next game and lost the rubber match in extras. They haven't won a series in May.

Vince Velasquez ..Now You See Him, Now You Don't - photo Pirates

• RHP Vince Velasquez was returned to the big club on Saturday after one rehab start. Spotty reliever RHP Duane Underwood was DFA'ed to clear a roster space. VV started and lasted two innings (five runs, seven hits) and left with, yep, elbow discomfort, the same thing that landed him on the IL. And it did again; he was put back on the 15-day IL and reliever RHP Cody Bolton was called up.
• Carlos Santana left Sunday's game with tightness in his spine; with Nunez hurt (see below), a trip to the IL will be interesting...
• On Monday, Andrew McCutchen became the 12th player in franchise history to record 1,500 career hits as a Pirate when he singled to right. It gave him 1,983 career knocks as he closes in on 2,000. In more Cutch news, he started in right field for the first time in six weeks on Sunday, which is hopefully a sign that a nagging ankle injury has finally healed.
• OF Miguel Andujar has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Indy. 
• John Baker, the Pirates coaching/player development director, is one name to remember in managerial searches during the upcoming offseason per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
• 1B Malcom  Nunez was put on the 7-day IL (injury undisclosed) by Indy. After an icy April, he had started banging the bat in May at a position where the Pirates are tissue-thin.
• Bradenton RHP JP Massey was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week after tossing a six-inning one-hitter with five K. He's a 23-year-old who was drafted in the seventh round last year by the Bucs from the U of Minnesota with a line of 2-2/2.76 and averaging 12 whiffs/nine innings.